El Cajon incumbent mayor takes lead

Wells had 7,799 votes, Scalzitti 3,064. A third candidate, Robert M. Weaver, had tallied 905 votes, but Weaver several months ago had backed out of the election because of a conflict of interest.

Wells, 56, was elected to the City Council in 2008 and again in 2012. He was appointed mayor in 2013 after Mayor Mark Lewis resigned, then was elected outright in 2014.

Wells was a Republican candidate for California's 50th Congressional District but lost in the June primary.

Scalzitti, 47, has been a governing board member on the Helix Water District since 2012. He runs several small businesses in East County, overseeing two popular doughnut shops in Santee and Lakeside.

In a battle for the District 1 City Council seat in El Cajon’s first by-district election, Gary Kendrick was ahead of Ben Kalasho with 28 of 32 precincts reporting.

District 1 covers all of Fletcher Hills and several other areas in El Cajon.

Kendrick had 3,408 votes; Kalasho 621.

Kalasho was elected to the council in 2016; Kendrick has been on the council since 2000.

The winner will hold the seat until 2022. If Kendrick prevails, Kalasho will still keep his seat for two more years. If Kalasho wins, the City Council will have to determine how to fill his seat for the next two years.

In Trustee Area 2, longtime board member Jill Barto held the lead in late returns with 2,219 votes against Andrew Alegria (1,017 votes). Alegria, the son of Area 3 Trustee Jo Alegria, was behind with 22 of 30 precincts reporting. Jo Alegria was running unopposed.

Trustees governing three areas in the Grossmont Union High School District were on the ballot. Two incumbents — Rob Shield in Area 4 and Jim Kelly in Area 5 — ran unopposed.